Mushroom-Truffle Pasta with Poached Egg

Hey guys, this is my 22nd recipe! This blog is becoming, like, a thing! I don’t expect this to be exciting to anyone besides me- but you should know that I’m so glad to be here, and I’m so glad that you come back 🙂 I’m pleased with how this has been going, and I’m enjoying sharing my favorite foods with you, and it is satisfying to see my pictures get better and better with each post. At the same time, I am still waiting for myself to fail miserably. I choose to press on.

I am a tad surprised that this is my first recipe with poached eggs- they’re kind of my go-to. We eat a lot of poached eggs because they’re (a) cheap, and (b) so versatile! You can take so many salads or vegetable side dishes, plop a poached egg on it, and it’s dinner. Blanch some asparagus, throw some poached eggs on there. Dinner. Wilt a bunch of chard or kale with some garlic, throw some poached eggs on there. Dinner again! It’s like when small, vulnerable Mario runs into a red mushroom, and then he’s big, better Mario who can jump much higher and withstand one bite from a turtle.

Speaking of mushrooms… this mushroom pasta is hashtag: treat yo’self. I will not lie to you- there are some fats and some carbs here. But I think you deserve this- you’ve been working so hard. And you look really skinny. You are worthy of this luxurious dish.

Picture this: a supple, tender poached egg holds court upon a bed of pasta ribbons and browned mushrooms. At first, you’re like- “but wait, isn’t this just fancy buttered noodles?”. And then you break open that poached egg, and you swirl everything around, and the runny yolk makes out with the truffle oil (while the mushrooms watch), and makes a rich, golden sauce that would make angels cry.

6 oz. egg pasta, such as pappardelle or tagliatelle (I used pappardelle)

2 large eggs

3 T. salted butter, divided

2 t. olive oil

4 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced

8 oz. crimini or button mushrooms, sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

salt and pepper

truffle oil, for finishing

Instructions

Heat two large pots of water to boiling. Add salt to one, add pasta, and cook to al dente. Meanwhile to the other pot, reduce heat to medium to bring water to a gentle simmer. Poach the eggs (my favorite method is in the notes section below) until firm whites/runny yolks. Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove eggs from the pot and place in a bowl of warm water until ready to serve.

When pasta is cooked, drain and leave in colander until ready to use.

Melt 2 T. butter and 2 t. olive oil in your largest skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid from the mushrooms is cooked off. Spread mushrooms in an even layer and allow to brown deeply.

Add remaining 1 T. butter and chopped garlic to the mushrooms. Stir, then add cooked pasta. Season with a pinch of salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper. Toss until the pasta is coated evenly.

Divide pasta onto two plates. Top each with a poached egg, and then drizzle truffle oil over everything. Groan.

Here's how I like to poach my eggs

Gentleness is key! Dealing with one egg at a time, crack an egg into a small dish or ramekin (or even a soup ladle!). Slowly submerge dish halfway into the simmering water, and gently tip egg into the pot. Repeat with remaining eggs, being certain to not crowd the eggs in the pot. Once the eggs have set about halfway, it's safe to use your slotted spoon to un-stick each egg from the bottom of the pot.

More Tips

-Use the freshest eggs you can- I usually buy a fresh dozen if I'm going to make poached eggs. They hold together much much better in the water.